Update for the last six months until September 23rd, 2013
Releases:
- OpenPetra Alpha 0.2.26 was released on September 23rd, 2013.
The release contains a lot of new functionality and bug fixes! It can be downloaded from here. A Windows installer is available.
The main focus of this release has been the Finance Module. Many of the enhanced features are found in there. The Partner and Personnel Module also saw improvements; the Personnel Module is close to completion regarding its functionality! We’ve even managed to work on the Conference module, enabling basic functionality.
The most obvious change for many OpenPetra screens is a slightly different layout: Quite a few users requested that Buttons that perform actions on a list of data should be placed below the list of data rather than to the right of it. We implemented that change, resulting in less mouse movements needed to perform list-related actions, plus in some extra space in which data can be shown. The freed up space will be used by the Filter/Find panel, but only when it is switched on. We are planning to implement that panel in many screens in the near future. Apart from this we took other results of user tests that were conducted earlier this year on board and implemented several improvements that were requested.
AlanP and ChristianK spent time implementing the Delete functionality throughout the entire OpenPetra suite. Nearly all lists of data where a deletion of rows is possible now support both single-row and multi-row deletion. Automatic checks are performed to confirm that rows that are to be deleted are not referenced in other parts of the application.
ChristianK also did much of the technical ‘groundwork’ for the implementation of the ‘Filter and Find’ functionality, which will be part of the next minor release.
In addition, ChristianK performed several technical investigations, in particular for the Mail Merge functionality and the Partner Contact Details. The implementation of the Partner Contact Details is under way but requires further changes in other parts of the application.
WolfgangB added functionality for maintaining Partner Interests on the Partner Edit Screen. He adapted Personnel and Partner Module screens to comply with recent code templates changes and updated the database design by removing unused tables and fields.
He also helped PeterS to get started on the team, identified tasks for PeterS and introduced him to those.
PeterS was mainly working on the Conference Module where he created a screen to maintain and select Conferences. Through that many of the previously inaccessible features of that Module can now be used. Adjustments to the Post Code Regions and Post Code Ranges screens were also introduced by him.
In addition PeterS improved the database conversion from Petra 2.x to OpenPetra.
ChrisT mainly worked on Budget maintenance and incorporated the new Delete functionality into various screens in the Gift and General Ledger Sub-modules. Then he focused on the import and export interfaces for several financial topics and improved the performance of various functions in the General Ledger and Gift Batch processes.
TimI’s primary task was the follow-up on reported bugs. He has fixed many of these in the Finance Module. In addition to that he was also tackling and solving several performance issues, in particular in the Reports area.
TimotheusP has finished his work in the Finance Module on the important Month End and Year End functionalities. A full GL Batch Reversal is now possible, too. Furthermore he has been working on directly exporting Report results to MS Excel.
Technical bits:
• ChristianK resolved a number of issues in the OpenPetra database access layer and vastly improved the way in which dependent records in the database are found (needed for the implementation of the Delete functionality for lists of data).
• TimotheusP worked on a standalone version of OpenPetra that does not require a separate server process any more (available only in an upcoming release).
Other news:
• PeterS joined the OpenPetra core team as a software engineer in April this year.
Thank you for your interest and support,
ChristianK for the OpenPetra developers